Mommy and Baby Take a Trip to CA!

On September 8, I headed out to California. The original reason I planned my trip was to go to Tiffany and David's wedding. The trip turned out to include so much more! I stayed with John, Sharen, Brandon and Emily. Emily was sweet enough to give up her room for eight days. Hopefully she didn't mind too much! In addition to the wedding, I also had my first baby shower!! More to come on that in another post. Even with a trip this long, I didn't get to see everyone I would have liked to spend time with, hopefully next time!

Here are a few photos of the trip:

Emily and me working at the table.

The bride and groom during their first dance.
Lee, Emily, Brandon & Mom

Emily, Brandon & Amy. Hard to believe they are old enough to be a bridesmaid and an usher...I still think of them as our flower girl and ring bearer! :)

The super cute candy buffet at the wedding!

Love the monogram on the cake!

Sharen (sister-in-law) and Karen (mother of the bride & Sharen's twin sister)

Sharen and John

Amy and Lee

Amy & Mom

The wedding was on mom's birthday, so they arranged for the DJ to play happy birthday to her. It was great!

23 Weeks

Baby's is still the size of a papaya!

She's forming little nipples (yeah, really!)

Her face is fully formed now -- she just needs a little extra fat to fill it out.

She's listening to your voice and your heartbeat -- and even to loud sounds like cars honking and dogs barking.

Mommy at 23 weeks:



September 9, 2011 marked 23 weeks!

Quite the Kicker!

It was very important to me that Michael was the first person to feel Ashlynn kick (other than me, obviously). As the countdown to my trip to California was getting short, I was getting concerned that Michael wouldn't feel her first. Apparently our little one wanted daddy to feel her first, too. The evening of Labor Day, Monday, September 5, she started kicking very strongly and Michael got to feel her. It was really a very special moment that we will always remember.

22 Weeks!

Baby's now the size of a papaya!

Baby's settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. During month five, the average fetus measures about 10.5 to 11.8 inches and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces.



September 2 marked 22 weeks!

21 Weeks!

Baby's now the size of a banana!

Baby's digestive systemis busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion, and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, if baby is a girl, her womb is now stocked up with her lifetime supply of six million eggs (the number will drop to around one million by birth).



August 19 marked 21 weeks!

Are we really halfway done?

August 19, 2011 marked our 20 week day! I can't even believe that we are halfway done with this amazing journey. Normally when I am halfway done with a project, I am halfway done with my to do list...okay maybe not halfway done, but usually I've at least started! The only thing we had really accomplished by this day was A LOT of maternity clothes shopping and deciding on our baby's name. We really agreed pretty quickly on her name...after voting in Excel. I'm sure you can guess whose idea that was :)

Ashlynn Pippa Utt

I realized this week that I was feeling her kick. It took me a few days to realize that all the little fluttery feelings were actually our little girl moving around! It was truly an indescribable feeling. Michael was pretty jealous and kept trying to convince me that I wasn't feeling her, it was just guess (he has been doing a lot of research during my pregnancy!). I knew that it was really her and kept hoping he would feel her soon. Maybe I should write that on the To Do List so I can cross it off! :)

While these 20 weeks have really flown by, I'm sure the next 20 will go even faster! We better get started on all my planned projects!

20 Weeks!

Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe!

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch. Baby weighs about 10.2 ounces and measures about 6.5 inches. She's still got a lot of growing to do though. Can you believe we're halfway done?

Mommy at 20 weeks

19 Weeks!

Baby's now the size of a mango!

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

Mommy at 19 weeks.
As of August 14, 2011